


All This Time (Running Back To You)

by DrifterWriter



Series: Leo and Kun [2]
Category: Football RPF
Genre: Bromance, Comfort, Fluff, Friendship, Kun feels abandoned, M/M, When they were young
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-30
Updated: 2016-07-01
Packaged: 2018-07-19 04:17:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7344553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrifterWriter/pseuds/DrifterWriter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kun is feeling completely clueless. </p><p>They're sitting at a dining table in the canteen of a U20 camp and the guy shrinks away even more at Kun's silence and glares at Angel, looking as if he'd rather be anywhere else but there. </p><p>Kun feels utterly foolish as he asks, "What's your name?"</p><p>"Lionel."</p><p>Kun searches his brain for any recognition. There's none. </p><p>He tries again. "What's your last name?"</p><p>"Messi."</p><p>Nothing. </p><p>"Sorry, what?"</p><p>"Messi."</p><p>And he's still completely bewildered, because he's never heard of a Lionel Messi, and he's wondering if the said Lionel Messi is offended at not being recognised. </p><p>"Sorry, I don't-"</p><p>And Lionel Messi's face splits into a wide smile. "Don't worry about it, I haven't heard of you either."</p><p>"Oh." Kun lets out a breath he didn't realise he'd been holding. "I'm Sergio Agüero. Kun Agüero, actually."</p><p>Then he realised that he's already said that, and mentally facepalms himself. </p><p>"You can call me Leo."</p><p>Kun nods. After a minute, all the boys go back to talkin about Nike shoes, and Kun joins in enthusiastically.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first go at Kunessi fanfic. Please go easy and remember that votes and kudos and comments are always appreciated and help boost my self confidence. 
> 
> Title comes from OneRepublic's 'All This Time'. It'd make a nice backing track if you fancy some music with the story.

Kun is never nervous. 

He's known for being jovial and loud and non-carish- it's what draws people to him, what makes him likeable, what makes him endearing. He is confident, he is charismatic, his eyes sparkle and he's never afraid to speak his mind. 

So, his first dinner at the U20 camp canteen is no big deal. Though most of the kids don't know him, that's never been a problem- he could choose to sit alone at a table for all it was worth and ten minutes later he would be surrounded by people. 

It was just the way he is. He draws people in. 

What unnerves Kun a little bit, though, is that everybody seems so much older than him. He's sixteen, and he's not small, but it still unnerves him a little bit. Like he needs to prove he's good enough to these guys. 

Kun's stomach rumbles. 

Proving himself shouldn't be a problem, but that comes after dinner. 

The canteen is already mostly full when he enters; he grabs a plate and piles it with food (pasta, yay) before looking around for a place to sit. All the tables are occupied by people sitting in their training groups (it's not an obligation, but Kun supposes that you do get used to the people you spend your waking hours with). 

He looks around for somewhere to sit (he doesn't know his training group yet) when someone shouts behind him. 

"Kun! Hey!"

He turns to see the nice scrawny guy he met in the corridor that morning- what was his name? Angel?- waving at him. He smiles back and advances towards the table, which is full of kids who look a little less intimidating than the rest. Perhaps because they're around his age. 

"Come sit with us," Angel says. 

Kun flashes his most winning smile at the entire table before sitting down at the edge of the bench. "Thanks."

"What's your name?" Someone asks. 

"Sergio Agüero, but you can call me Kun," he replies, before attacking his pasta. "What about you guys?"

They introduce themselves one by one- there's Masche and Higuain and a bunch of names that Kun is too hungry to pay attention to but is sure that he'll remember them in due time. He nods along between mouthfuls of pasta. 

"And you must know who this is!" Angel says, somewhat proudly, looking at the guy who's sitting beside him. 

The said guy is rather small and shrinks away at the obvious pride in Angel's voice. He looks up to offer Kun a small smile, then looks at his plate almost immediately. 

Kun is feeling completely clueless. 

The guy shrinks away even more at Kun's silence and glares at Angel, looking as if he'd rather be anywhere else but there. 

Kun feels utterly foolish as he asks, "What's your name?"

"Lionel."

Kun searches his brain for any recognition. There's none. 

He tries again. "What's your last name?"

"Messi."

Nothing. 

"Sorry, what?"

"Messi."

And he's still completely bewildered, because he's never heard of a Lionel Messi, and he's wondering if the said Lionel Messi is offended at not being recognised. 

"Sorry, I don't-"

And Lionel Messi's face splits into a wide smile. "Don't worry about it, I haven't heard of you either."

"Oh." Kun lets out a breath he didn't realise he'd been holding. "I'm Sergio Agüero. Kun Agüero, actually."

Then he realised that he's already said that, and mentally facepalms himself. 

"You can call me Leo."

Kun nods. After a minute, all the boys go back to talking about Nike shoes, and Kun joins in enthusiastically.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

Leo is not shy- he's really not- but he's painfully quiet. Kun supposes that that's what really makes them best friends. He's paired with Leo during training next day because they're the youngest (Leo is seventeen) and they strike up a friendship at the very first minute. Kun fills Leo's silence with his words throughout the first half of the day, occasionally cracking a joke to earn one of Leo's rare laughs. 

Leo is not unhappy, but it's rare to see him laugh. Kun feels a little proud that he can make him. 

Leo, on the other hand, is much more level headed than Kun is, and he provides a different kind of comfort. 

The second half of training that day is horrible for Kun; he can't do half the things the others can and by the end of the day he's in one of his rare horrible moods, snatching his bag up and stalking off towards the campus, ignoring Leo's somewhat hurt expression. 

"Kun!" 

It's really unusual for Leo to be shouting, but Kun ignores him. He realises he's been crying silently, and hurriedly wipes the tears with the back of his hand, smearing dirt all over his face in the process.

He starts to walk faster, but goddamned Lionel Messi is faster than him, and catches up effortlessly. 

Kun can't look at him. Not in this state. 

He waits for Leo to say something. 

Leo doesn't. 

"Well?" Kun says harshly. He's never been able to stand much silence. 

Leo doesn't reply. He keeps walking alongside him instead. 

Kun huffs. He feels like he needs to break down, and he can't break down in front of Leo, he can't break down in front of anybody so he breaks into a run; into the building and up the stairs and into his bedroom and he slams the door shut and he runs into the bathroom and he cries. 

Kun cries. 

He can't remember the last time he cried, but he cries now.

Because this is hopeless, who is he kidding? There are thousands of kids in Argentina who play football better than he does, and Kun has no idea what he's doing here, for god's sake, he's not good enough, coach made that more than clear today-

He showers to get the mud off him. The cold water clears his head a little and washes the tear tracks on his face away, but doesn't really help Kun's mood- he's turned from seething to sulky. 

When Kun comes back out of the shower an hour later, his skin wrinkly from the cold water and his mood still foul, Leo is sitting on his bed, reading. 

Leo is sitting on Kun's bed. Reading. 

Kun is suddenly acutely aware that there is only a towel around his waist. 

Leo looks up. "Hi," he smiles. 

Kun is so surprised that he can't even remember to sulk. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, you didn't turn up for dinner, so-" Leo scratches his neck uncomfortably and grins up at Kun. "I thought you might be hungry."

Kun nods- he's hungry for sure. "Thanks. I'll, just, um-"

He ducks back into the bathroom and puts on clean trackpants and a white shirt, towels his hair dry and comes back out into the room. Leo is still waiting, this time with a tray full of food in his hands and a smile on his face. 

Kun sits down on the bed so they're facing each other. Leo hands him the tray and Kun literally devours the food as his friend looks on, amused. Kun tries to feed him little bites off his fork too, but- 

"Kun, I've eaten dinner-" Leo protests, swatting the fork away. "You have it, you're the one who's hungry."

But when Kun doesn't relent, Leo opens his mouth reluctantly and accepts the bite with a smile. 

Dinner is over in no time- Kun hadn't realised how ravenous he'd been. He sets the tray aside, and when he looks back up, Leo is watching him. 

"Feeling better?"

Kun nods. "Thanks, Leo."

"Anytime."

They sit in silence for a while. Leo picks up his book and continues to read while Kun combs his wet hair without a mirror. 

"You know, it's okay not to get it right away."

Kun looks up. 

"I'm not good with words-" for once, Leo looks frustrated with his own inability to express himself the way he wants. "Look, Kun, what I'm trying to tell you is that- you can't expect yourself to be brilliant on the first day. No one is, okay? Angel wasn't, Masche wasn't, I wasn't. We've been here months. It's the only reason we're better right now. But you'll catch up. Trust me."

"Promise?" Kun whispers. He sounds like a little kid, but he doesn't care. "Promise me that I'll catch up?"

"Promise," Leo says easily. 

***

Leo stays in Kun's room that night, reading his book, because Kun asks him to. His bed is small, but it's big enough for the two of them because he isn't very big and Leo is tiny. 

Kun falls asleep on Leo's chest with Leo's arm around his shoulder. The last image he has before drifting off is the yellow light from the reading lamp illuminating Leo's dark eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo and Kun leave each other behind.

The trophy is pretty, the trophy is shiny and the Kun can't help but think that the trophy belongs right where it is- in Leo's hands, alongside the golden boot that he's won. 

People are coming up and congratulating them, all of them, and Kun feels elated, really, grinning foolishly at his teammates, high from the rush that only victory gives. 

At some point he finds himself next to Leo, who is uncharacteristically loud and racous. Kun supposes he deserves it. They pose for a picture together, Leo all smiles and dimples and Kun can't help but reach down and kiss his cheek. 

Leo blushes. "What was that for?"

"For everything," Kun replies, because after three years this should be obvious to Leo. Kun is thankful for Leo just being there. 

Leo nods but then he moves away, leaving Kun standing there alone. Kun stares after his for a second before his ribs are being crushed by Masche, who seems to have a hard time letting go. 

***

Kun gets signed to Manchester City two days later. He screams in delight, causing Leo to come running from the next room. 

"Kun! What's wrong?"

"I got signed!" Kun screams, waving the letter in Leo's bewildered face. "I got signed to Manchester City!"

Something that Kun can't quite put a finger on flickers across Leo's face but he must have imagined it, because the next moment, Leo is tackling him to the bed and yelling, "You did it, Kun! You got signed!"

"I got signed!" Kun yells back in delight. 

"You got signed!"

"I got signed!"

When they're done pointing out the obvious, Leo rolls off the bed, panting a little and grabs Kun's letter to read it. 

"You're leaving next week?" Leo asks, eyebrows furrowed. 

"Yeah. You got signed anywhere yet?" Kun asks, even though he knows that also hasn't, because he'd be the first person to know. 

"Nah," Leo says breezily. "Don't know who'd want me."

"You're kidding? You're the best player in the team!"

"No, that's you," Leo says, and Kun has the sudden urge to grab Leo's neck and shake him till he understood that he was the best player in Argentina. It was so like Leo to not acknowledge his brilliance. 

Leo stands suddenly. "I'll see you later, Kun."

He walks out and shuts the door, leaving Kun to wonder what he'd said wrong. 

*** 

Leo gets signed to Barcelona three days later. Kun helps him pack, like he always does. 

***

Here are no tears when it's time for Kun to leave. His remaining teammates shake his hand and hug him tightly, wishing him luck and asking him to keep in touch. 

Then it's Leo's turn to hug him. 

It's by far the most awkward hug they've shared, and it feels terribly wrong, Leo's limp arms around his back like there's no actual love, no actual feeling, like its a formality. They let go rather quickly. 

But Kun stills persists; deep down, some part of him believes that he can save their dying friendship. "You have my number, right? Call me from your Spanish number when you get there, okay?"

"Sure." Leo doesn't smile. 

***

Leo doesn't call. 

Kun isn't sure he expected him to.

Still, he can't help but wonder where the three years of staying up late at night, playing FIFA after training and falling asleep in each other's arms went. 

Kun doesn't know.

He watches Leo play sometimes on TV and he can't help but feel a rush of pride every time the little one scores, dodging defenders like they don't exist. 

Then the pride is replaced with a sick feeling in his stomach. 

***

Kun keeps training. 

***

Kun has an old picture of him and Leo, from way back when they'd started to train with each other. Leo has the biggest shit-eating grin on his face and Kun's lips on his cheek. 

The picture resides safely in Kun's wallet. 

Sometimes he looks at it before a difficult match. It makes him feel better. It shouldn't, but it does. Maybe it makes him more determined to do something right for once in his life. 

***

They're playing Atlético today. 

And Kun is ready. He looks at the picture of him and Leo before her walks out of the tunnel. 

The first half is without incident- no goals each side, just casual passing and strikers trying to keep possession, really. 

The second half, Atlético scores. 

Kun is furious. Mostly at himself. 

The ball is kicked into play again and is soon at Kun's feet, and he's running like the wind, because this is home, and nothing can go wrong. He weaves last the defenders and dribbles, trying to get the right angle to score-

He kicks the ball a millisecond before the defender collides with him, sending his frame flying. 

For a second, Kun tries to discern whether he scored or not; he's lying prostate on the ground, squinting at the net but nobody is cheering. Someone is screaming. 

Kun sighs. No goal, then. 

He tries to get up, but he can't feel his right leg. He vaguely wonders why and looks down. 

His leg is bent at an odd angle. Kun tries to straighten it. It doesn't move. 

It's only when his teammates start yelling for a medic is when he realises that he's the one screaming. The agony hits suddenly. He blacks out.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some good old fashioned making up and Kunessi fluff. Happy ending for once!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *yawn*

They say he's depressed. Kun can't bring himself to care enough to wonder whether they're right.

It's bad. He doesn't need to be told in plain words- two complicated surgeries later three doctors are flocking around him, spewing a shitload of medical terms and the sympathy in their eyes is confirmation enough- it's bad.

"How long?" Kun lies back down on he pillows. "Before I can play football?"

He's out of this tournament for sure, and he knows he'll be lucky if he's a substitute in the next one. Still, he hopes for the best.

"Two years," one of the doctors says.

Kun's world collapses.

"Two years?" He whimpers, too shocked to cry.

Two years and a lot of physiotherapy, they tell him. It was a very complicated series of operations, they tell him. The surgeries were expensive; he's lucky that the club paid for them, they tell him.

Kun tunes them out, and they eventually leave him alone.

He doesn't cry. He can't. He can't even stop the chant that's ringing in his head.

_Two years two years two years_

Every waking second is torture. He doesn't do much, really, just eats and sleeps. His sister comes all the way from Argentina to visit him, and chatters on and on, but eventually gives up on engaging him in any kind of conversation. His teammates visit too, but he lies listlessly in bed till they leave.

He cries when he's alone.

It's not like doesn't want to talk- it's just that there's nothing to talk about.

His thoughts turn to Leo once in a while, and he thinks about the way the little Argentine dribbles, dodging defenders like they don't exist. Anger rises in the pit of his stomach, so black and so intense that it scares him, and he pushes it away.

He knows he's being irrational. Leo's done nothing to hurt him. At least not physically.

*

He's been here for two months, and the sterile smell of the hospital is finally fucking with his head.

*

The day he manages to stand up without any help, he grabs his crutches and signs himself out of the hospital, because he knows he's going to go crazy if he spends another day in there.

The cab driver is really nice; he helps Kun into his house and turns the light switches and geysers that Kun can't reach on for him. Kun tips him generously.

The house is dusty and Kun doesn't fancy takeout after two months of hospital food, so he sets some pasta to boil before he starts dusting the house. He starts sneezing in no time as his dust allergy surfaces, but he goes on. If Kun is something, he's relentless. The house takes nearly three exhausting hours to clean and Kun's leg is screaming bloody _murder_ , but the job is done. Kun collapses onto the couch, satisfied for the first time in months.

The doorbell rings.

Kun frowns. He hasn't told anybody that he's left the hospital. It's probably one of his teammates who went to visit him and didn't find him there.

Sighing, Kun snatches up his crutches, limps off towards the door and throws it open, and Leo is just- there.

And he says, "Hey, Kun, sorry, I went to the hospital but they told me I'd missed you by a few hours and I couldn't find your number anywh- Kun?"

What.

"You?" Kun's voice is hoarse from unuse. "You-"

"Kun?" Leo says, worriedly.

Kun can't process it, his brain can't process the fact that after three years of dead silence Leo is just _standing_ in front of his doorway, hands stuck in the pockets of his jeans like they met yesterday for dinner and Leo came back for the phone he forgot at Kun's place.

"What are you doing here?" Kun splutters disbelieving, when he finally finds his voice.

Leo shrugs. "I came to see you. Can I come in?"

Kun realises that he's blocking the doorway and shifts painfully, swinging his crutches around and hopping out of the way to let Leo in, who enters, wheeling a suitcase that Kun hadn't noticed behind him.

Leo sniffs the air curiously. "Mm. Pasta?"

"Yeah. Staying for dinner?" Kun offers before he can stop himself.

Leo's elvish smile brightens and he nods, slowing down to match his pace with Kun's until they reach the kitchen.

Kun wants to cry. He's not sure why.

They sit down at the kitchen table, the smell of tomatoes in the air. There is a long awkward silence. Kun doesn't know how to break it.

"I'm sorry about your leg," Leo says eventually.

It doesn't mean anything to Kun. "Yeah. Thanks."

"I really am."

"Sure."

The tension builds up again; it hangs over their heads like a rain cloud, waiting to burst. Leo's finger beat a tattoo on the table as he fidgets, looking anywhere else but at Kun.

"What are you doing here?" Kun asks again quietly, after a while. He looks straight into Leo's eyes, daring him to lie, because dammit, Kun is beginning to realise how much he'd missed Leo and he doesn't like it.

"I couldn't find your number, so I came to see you instead." Leo looks up, offering a tentative smile. "Isn't that what friends do?"

That. _That_ makes Kun mad.

"You know what _friends_ do, Leo?" He hisses, sounding so unlike himself that even he gets a little scared. " _Friends_ stick with each other. _Friends_  keep in touch. Friends are there when they're _needed_."

Leo flinches.

"Where were you, Leo?" Kun's voice rises uncontrollably, cracking a little, maybe from unuse of from the emotion, he doesn't know which. He can't stop himself from yelling; he isn't sure he wants to. "Three years and you don't call and you turn up to say you- you're sorry about my leg? YOU'RE SORRY ABOUT MY LEG? You fucking _asshole_ , how do you have the nerve t- Leo?"

Leo is crying.

Kun stares, dumbfounded.

In all their three years of friendship, Kun has never seen Leo cry, not once, not when he was injured, not when they lost. And yet, here he sits at Kun's kitchen table, tears streaming down his face silently as he looks at his hands.

Kun immediately feels guilty.

"Leo?"

Leo shudders a little at Kun saying his name.

"Leo, I'm sorry-"

"No, I deserved it." Leo wipes his face with the cuff of his sleeve, hiccups and looks up to give Kun a watery smile. "I should've been there when you needed me. And I wasn't. I deserved that."

Kun's throat is suddenly very dry.

"I'm sorry," Leo says. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for three years, but- Kun, I'm here now."

And Kun hears the underlying plea in his voice. _Don't push me away._

"Okay," he says dumbly. "I'm sorry, too."

Leo makes a sound which is somewhere between a chuckle and a sob. "What for?"

"For- for yelling at you. And making you cry."

"It's okay. I'm sorry for making you wait."

"It's okay," Kun says, because it is.

Leo chokes out a laugh-sob again, and suddenly there is the sound of his chair's legs scraping the tiled marble flooring and his arms are wrapped tightly around Kun, who hugs back automatically.

It feels so _right_.

Leo is hiccuping again, so Kun seats him on his good leg and wipes the tear tracks away with the pad of his thumb. Leo laughs a little before burying his face in the crook of Kun's neck, his hot breath down Kun's collar, making him shiver a little.

They stay like that for a good ten minutes, their arms around each other to make up for three years of absence, before Kun realises that the pasta sauce is burning.

"Leo, the pasta!"

Leo jumps up from Kun's leg and runs towards the stove to switch it off, and by the time Kun manages to limp over, both of them are laughing hysterically, Kun hanging on to Leo's shoulders and Leo hanging on to the kitchen counter.

"Did it burn?" Leo asks, still snorting.

Kun shakes his head, laughing. "Luckily, you're one of the fastest footballers on the planet."

Leo punches him on the shoulder lightly. "Flatterer."

"It's true, though."

Leo smiles at him fondly, and Kun grins back before he turns to the pasta. "I might just be able to save this."

Leo nods. "I'll set the plates."

*

They eat in front of the TV so that Kun can stretch his bad leg out in front of him as they spear forkfuls on pasta with one hand and play FIFA with the other. Kun wins, but he suspects that Leo lets him.

At some point, Leo curls into Kun's side and Kun automatically puts an arm around Leo who drifts off right then and there, threatening to fall into Kun's bad leg.

"Leo?"

"Mm."

"Leo, my leg hurts."

Leo's eyes snap open immediately and he jumps away. "Oh, shit, Kun, I'm so sorry-"

"Nah, don't worry. Help me up?"

Leo slings his arm around Kun's waist and pulls him up gently, Kun clinging to the fabric of his tshirt. They walk slowly to Kun's bedroom and Leo gets him changed and tucks him in.

He catches Leo's hand as he turns to leave. Leo looks down at him, surprised.

"You're staying, right?" Kun asks. He knows he sounds whiny and desperate, but he doesn't care. He's missed three years with Leo; he refuses to lose another minute.

Leo smiles. "I'm not going anywhere unless you want me to."

Kun pats the bed. "Stay here, then."

*

Kun goes to sleep on Leo's chest the way he did on the first day of training, with one of Leo's arm around him, the other holding a book. The last thing he remembers before drifting off is the yellow light from the reading lamp peeking though Leo's dark hair. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS NOT THE END OF THE STORY. EVEN IF IT SOUNDS LIKE IT IS. 
> 
> Also, this might go on for more than six chapters. I'm just a little paranoid about the question mark.


End file.
